Curse
by Ohjeez
Summary: Violet Lewis a.k.a Amanda Borden arrives in Gotham with a mission. But when 'Violet' falls ill Bruce finds it harder to track down The Joker. And Gotham City is in for a wild ride. Who is 'Violet' and what are her intentions exactly? NEW PART IN CHAPTER 2
1. Chapter 1

Buildings suffocated Amanda as she walked down Gotham's sidewalks. The place was so loud, cars honking their horns, children screaming for the latest toy in the store's window; it didn't help that Amanda had suffered from another episode the night before. With a clenched hand she heaved her luggage off from the ground as she looked for a good place to rest her head. A sophisticated looking coffee shop caught her eye, it was only a few blocks down, and it wouldn't kill her to walk a little longer.

The coffee house had a total opposite feeling than the streets of Gotham. Inside the walls were painted a light yellow, bringing life to an otherwise dull grey city. There was a special kind of silence there that seemed to ease or even erase any anxieties a person may have felt before stepping inside. Amanda's eyes found an empty wooden table at the corner of the shop, overlooking Gotham. She took a seat and reached into her clutch purse, pulling out her cell phone, still no calls. Amanda's mind drifted away from the madness that she knew Gotham would bring but to what she had left behind. There was a man waiting there for her, asleep in their queen sized bed, about to wake up and find nothing but a small note. And that wasn't even enough to explain what was going on. With a groan Amanda hid her phone and looked around. People were quietly reading and drinking coffee. A few tables down she spotted two teenagers talking very quietly, almost discreetly. Amanda gave a small smile, young love, she thought.

"Hey lady!"

Amanda looked over at the short man who was calling her.

"Could you hand me that newspaper over there?"

It was then that she noticed the black and white, crisp newspaper that sat in front of her. A big picture of a grand mansion was on the front cover. It seemed familiar and then the words "Bruce Wayne" jumped at her and that uneasy feeling took over. She grabbed the paper and opened it. She had read the first paragraph when the man again called for her, this time not as politely. Amanda looked at the man.

"Who's Bruce Wayne?" 

There was a dead silence that filled the room. The room had already been quiet but her question created a whole new level of quiet. She could almost hear everyone's heart beating. Nervous that she had said something wrong she handed the man her newspaper. 

"You're not from here are you?" he asked with a smile and when she shook her head he laughed and the volume in the shop turned up a notch so that there wasn't that uncomfortable silence. "Everyone knows Bruce Wayne. He's a millionaire, the richest man in Gotham. His father practically owned Gotham."

Amanda stared at the picture of the house, "where can I find him?" The man gave a good hard laugh but Andy just watched him sternly.

"Oh, well since it's pretty early in the morning I'd guess you could find him there." And he pointed at the Mansion in the paper. "It shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes by car." He said watching as Amanda got up to gather her things. "Can I ask what your name is?"

Thinking quickly Amanda replied, "Violet Lewis."


	2. Chapter 2

The yellow cab drove past the city streets and into the luscious green gardens of the secluded side of Gotham city. It was much prettier than the city. Amanda's blue eyes followed the perfect fluffy clouds in the sky, forming shapes of trains, dragons and even bats. The cab stopped abruptly, almost knocking Amanda forward. 

"Here you are Miss."

Amanda recovered herself and grabbed some money from her purse and paid the man. Making sure she had everything with her she left the cab and now stood alone on the vacant sidewalk. It was just past seven in the morning. She wasn't sure if he'd be home, or how he'd react to a stranger at his door. Nervousness filled Amanda's heart as she made her way down the path to the double doors. There wasn't a time where she had cared about what to say when he asked what she wanted. She was going to say the truth but gave that a second thought. Her high heels tapped melodically on the cement floor, playing a suspenseful song. The steps were much harder to climb than she had anticipated. She had to drag her bags against the floor, only lifting the bags to carry them onto the next step. A hushed gasp escaped her parted lips. The double doors in front of her were much taller than she. Everything was much taller than how it appeared in the newspaper. She grabbed the handle and knocked three times, her heart beating faster. Words were scrambled in her head as she frantically searched for the right words to create a secure sentence. She could hear a faint noise that sounded like it was coming from inside but she wasn't so sure, the sound of her heart beating was taking over all of her senses. 

One of the doors opened and an old man in a suit appeared beside it. He gave her a quizzical look, waiting for an answer. 

"Hi, I was wondering if I could use your phone?" the question had felt right inside her mind but once spoken Amanda wondered if he'd let her in. 

"Stranded?" He asked. The woman was by herself with her luggage, no vehicle around. The situation was suspicious. He looked away from the woman and back at his master who had just walked down the stairs. 

"You can say that," Amanda saw the look in the old man's eyes. He didn't buy it. He wasn't going to let her, a stranger in. "Actually, it's okay. I'll find my way somehow"

Alfred couldn't help but feel a little guilty, "Well then let me call you a cab." 

Bruce Wayne walked down the spiral staircase. He held the morning's paper. His mansion was on the front cover. The people really did love their mindless gossip. He rolled the paper up and tucked it under his right arm, starting to whistle as he made his way over to Alfred who was standing at the front door. 

"Good morning Alfred," Bruce said cheerfully. He was in a good mood this morning, well, a better mood than he had been the past few days. He was busy trying to find any information he could find on The Joker'. The nights he spent studying and searching was taking a toll on his health so he had decided to take a day off and have some fun. And that he did. With Rachel. 

"Ah, Master Bruce. I was just about to call a taxi for..." Alfred stopped in mid-sentence.

"Uh... Violet, Violet Lewis." Amanda said, almost forgetting her 'name'. 

Bruce nodded. "No, no Alfred. It's alright, I'll take Violet." He smiled. 

"Come on in." Bruce made room for Amanda to walk inside. Alfred grabbed his arm sternly.

"Sir, you can't possibly take the woman."

"Why not? I'm awake and feeling great." Bruce grabbed his coat.

"But Sir, we don't know who she is-" Alfred began.

"Yes we do, she's Violet Lewis." Bruce smirked.

Everything was so odd. She thought she had everything all planned out, but it turned out she didn't know what to do next. Should she just blurt it out? Or maybe get to know the man first and then tell him? There was no time for that, if she waited too long something else could happen and she didn't want the guilt of knowing she could have stopped it if she had spoken up. 

Amanda looked at Bruce Wayne; he hadn't spoken during the drive. He seemed like a completely different person form the man she met earlier. "Your mansion was lovely." Amanda blurted out, trying to start a conversation. She was never good with small talk.

As if brought back to this world Bruce glanced at her, "Thanks."

"I saw an article of it in the newspaper, made it all from scratch. Pretty impressive."

"Well I didn't make it, but it is eye-catching I guess."

Amanda smiled, nodding. This conversation wasn't going anywhere and she couldn't keep him driving, she'd have to stop somewhere. They had left the green forests and grassy hills to the heart of the city. 

"Where'd you say you wanted to go again?" Bruce asked coming to a stop at the intersection.

But Amanda couldn't hear him. Instead she was hearing high-pitched cries of surrender. She closed her eyes, relaxing her body and concentrating on the voice. It sounded close by, really close. "Do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The screaming," Amanda looked at Bruce. "Turn to the left."

"What?" He asked confused. 

"Hurry, turn to the left," Amanda ordered. Bruce made a sharp left turn, nearly hitting the incoming cars. Their car skidded down a damp dark alleyway until Amanda told him to stop. "It's coming from here." Without another word she opened the door and ran to the corner. Bruce shook his head; not believing what was going on but went after her.

"What is going on?" Bruce asked irritated. He didn't want everything to be a sick joke on his expense. He was beginning to have second thoughts about offering to drive her home. 

"Sh!" Amanda hushed him. It was definitely coming from around the corner. She was just afraid at what she might find. "Come on." Grabbing Bruce's arm she led him around the corner and deeper and deeper into the darkness. 

Bruce felt his heart beat a little faster and then he heard it. A faint woman's scream came from the end of the alleyway. They both ran towards the noise, her arm still holding his. The outline of a woman lay on the floor, now silent. Bruce felt Amanda's body jump. She was scared, heck he was scared. A light flickered on, making Bruce wish that it hadn't. The woman was dead on the floor, her throat slit. Blood still pouring out. 

"It's too late..." The words, merely a whisper, coming from Amanda's mouth.

A hysterical laugh came from behind her. The man turned around. He wore a torn beige overcoat. His face was painted white; a red oversized smile was enough to make anyone shiver. He smiled at them, still laughing. 

"Why so serious?" It wasn't much of a question, more like a taunting statement. A playing card flew through the air, cutting through the air particles and making its way towards them. Instinctively Bruce grabbed onto Amanda and pushed her aside, barely missing the card. It landed with a 'clink'. When Bruce looked for the man he had vanished. The card still lay on the floor. It was a playing card, the joker. 

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked Amanda, helping her up. She dusted off her pants and nodded.

Bruce picked up the card, sliding it through his fingers. It felt slick and cold, much like metal. 

"We have to go," Bruce said getting into the car.

"What about her," Amanda motioned to the woman lying on the floor.

"There's not much we can do for her now. The police will take care of her." 

Unwillingly Amanda got into the seat next to him. This may be over for now, but the images would haunt her forever. Until the thing was stopped.


End file.
